Wisconsin coach suddenly resigns

MADISON, Wis. (AP) Rebuilding basketball programs for 36 years finally got the best of Dick Bennett.

The defensive tactician who guided Wisconsin to an NCAA Final Four appearance this year is retiring because of burnout.

''I just simply was drained. I just simply could not keep up and it began to bother me,'' Bennett said Thursday at a tearful news conference flanked by his wife, Anne, and athletic director Pat Richter.

The 57-year-old Bennett said his health was fine.

Assistant Brad Soderberg, who played for Bennett at Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the early 1980s, was hired as acting coach for the remainder of the season. His first game is Saturday against Xavier.

Soderberg, who was head coach at South Dakota State from 1993-95 before joining the Wisconsin staff when Bennett became the coach, said he tried to talk his boss out of retiring. ''But as he told me, he just ran out of gas,'' he said.

The Badgers (2-1) are ranked 23rd and have high hopes for a Big Ten title run when Maurice Linton and Travon Davis return to the team after serving eight-game NCAA suspensions for receiving extra benefits.

Bennett came to Wisconsin in 1995 after twice being passed over for the Badgers' job. Before that, he spent nine years at Wisconsin-Stevens Point and 10 seasons at Wisconsin-Green Bay.

In April, the Badgers lost to Michigan State 53-41 in the NCAA tournament semifinals, the team's first NCAA Final Four appearance in 59 years. Afterward, Bennett spent a week mulling retirement but decided to return.

But Bennett said he began to notice he wasn't paying attention to details and knew then it was time to say good-bye.

Before the Badgers made their unexpected run to the Final Four, Bennett was the subject of harsh criticism in Wisconsin for his antiquated style of coaching and his perceived shortcomings in recruiting. Unlike many coaches, Bennett admits he hears criticism and is hurt by it.

In truth, Bennett made the Badgers respectable after decades of ineptitude. In his five years, Wisconsin went to the NCAA tournament three times after just three visits in the previous 97 years. His last two teams are the two winningest in school history.

Bennett was among the college game's most respected tacticians for his defensive system that puts premiums on team play and execution. He finished with a career record of 453-258, including a 93-69 mark in Madison.